Sentinel-3
Overview
Sentinel-3 is a multi-instrument mission to measure sea-surface topography, sea- and land-surface temperature, ocean colour and land colour with high-end accuracy and reliability. The mission supports ocean forecasting systems, as well as environmental and climate monitoring. Sentinel-3A was launched on 16 February 2016 and Sentinel-3B joined its twin in orbit on 25 April 2018. A further two launches are expected in 2026 and 2028.RAL Space involvement
Early design-phase and concept of SLSTR, flight blackbody sources, post launch calibration and data analysis.
Instrument Highlight
SLSTR
The Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) on the ESA/EU GMES Sentinel-3 mission provides highly accurate measurements of global Earth surface temperatures.
The design concept for SLSTR, was originally proposed from studies undertaken by RAL Space and Thales. It was developed for flight by the instrument prime contractor Selex Galileo (Italy). RAL Space scientists and engineers played a key role in the development of the instrument design, its calibration and the definition of the data products and processing algorithms. A dedicated facility was been built at RAL Space for the pre-flight calibration activities, essential for SLSTR providing accurate and traceable measurements.
